US, France, and Italian authorities shut down massive deepfake porn site - CyberScoop
U.S., French, and Italian authorities collaborated to shut down a massive deepfake pornography network, leading to the arrest of an administrator and domain seizures
- Incident date
- Jun 2026
- Target
- multiple public figures including politicians, royalty, journalists, and entertainers
In June 2026, international law enforcement agencies collaborated to dismantle a massive deepfake pornography operation that targeted thousands of public figures. The investigation resulted in the seizure of domains CFAKE.com and SOCFAKE.com, alongside the arrest of a key administrator in France.
What happened
The U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, working in coordination with authorities in France and Italy, seized multiple internet domains accused of distributing thousands of AI-generated sexual images and videos. The content featured nonconsensual depictions of politicians, first ladies, royalty, journalists, athletes, and entertainers. The sites categorized this material with labels including "rape" and "forced," highlighting the exploitative nature of the platform.
The operation was conducted under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which allows for the criminal prosecution of those creating and distributing nonconsensual deepfake pornography. Investigations revealed the scale of the site: it hosted approximately 200,000 user accounts, received 4 million views per month, and added 50 new pieces of content daily. The French investigation identified 300,000 images and 7,000 videos depicting 14,000 individuals.
French authorities arrested Cyrille B., a 47-year-old French national, in Nice. Investigators discovered computer equipment and more than $48,000 in Ethereum cryptocurrency linked to the site’s advertising revenue. The suspect faces trial on July 7, with potential penalties of up to seven years in prison and a €500,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Robert Fraiser emphasized that the seizure stopped a platform that trafficked in humiliation and the violation of personal privacy, noting that the harm caused to victims is both enduring and deeply personal.